Jane E. Church
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Jane Church (1833-1917) was the daughter of Henry and Clarissa Church. She was one year old when she and her family arrived in Chagrin Falls from Massachusetts. Jane was a woman of definite opinions. She attended the local schools and was an accomplished seamstress.
As the effort to shelter runaway slaves grew, the Church family took part in the Underground Railroad. The children knew when a slave was being sheltered in the house for there was less to eat for supper. Jane was also a committed abolitionist.
Jane was a charter member of the Soldiers Aid Society during the Civil War, serving as secretary and president. After the war, she led the effort to raise money for a monument honoring the Chagrin boys killed in the war. She was asked to dedicate the obelisk, an unusual honor for a woman, which still stands in Evergreen Hill Cemetery and is the centerpiece of Memorial Day activities
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